Dambulla has a picturesque setting

But with England returning more than two years on from its inaugural match, Sri Lanka's newest venue now appears finally to be established on the cricket map.

Built in just seven months, the project was the brainchild of Thilanga Sumathipala, past and present president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

He identified the need for an international venue which was not subject to seasonal weather patterns which make cricket impossible in Colombo for part of the year.

The stadium was originally costed at 190m rupees, but the figure spiralled upwards during construction to a final figure which was estimated at around 400m (�2.5m).

The first match was played out amid much pomp and ceremony in March 2001 and everything went according to plan as Sri Lanka defeated England by five wickets.

Within two months, however, Dambulla was in serious danger of becoming a cricketing white elephant.

The Board of Control was dissolved by the government amid allegations of financial irregularities, and the Solicitor General ordered that building workers should only be paid 25 per cent of their money pending an inquiry.

England's Andy Atkinson prepared the pitch for the inaugural match

There was also a dispute with the Ministry for Buddhist Affairs, who claimed that the monks who owned the land on which the stadium was built, did not have the right to lease it to the BCCSL.

It took until early last year to unravel the various difficulties sufficiently to enable the Sri Lanka A team to play a game at Dambulla during a one-day series against Kenya.

Things continued to look up for the stadium in May, when it was scheduled to stage the first three games in a triangular series involving Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand.

Persistent rain in Colombo meant the entire tournament being played at Dambulla, which lies 86 miles north east of the capital.

But a significant problem still remains - a problem hinted at during the inaugural game, when England were bowled out for just 143.

The wickets at Dambulla have not been batsman-friendly, with only one total in excess of 200 achieved during the triangular tournament earlier this year.

New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming offered a brutally honest assessment, saying after one game: "The pitch was rubbish."

Batsmen have not enjoyed the Dambulla experience so far

It was a view shared by home captain Marvan Atapattu, whose team failed to make the final, and also lost their proud record of winning every home one-day series since 1998.

"These conditions are new to us," Atapattu said.

"We haven't played here much, but I'm a bit surprised that we have pitches like these here."

The groundstaff have been working hard to find a way to redress the balance, because Dambulla will be a regular stopping-off point for future touring sides.

Floodlights have now been installed at a cost of �165,000, which will be recouped from the proceeds of five one-dayers Australia are due to play on the island early next year.

Seeing Dambulla thrive is particularly pleasing for Sumathipala, who regained the presidency in June after beating former national team captain Arjuna Ranatunga in an election.

But unsettled weather is threatening to disrupt Tuesday's game against England.

Now that would be ironic.